Brazil Butt Lift - High & Tight

Part of the original Brazil Butt Lift series, this is a combination of standing work using a band, floor work with a band and floor work with ankle weights. It's a great complement to Bum Bum - do them back-to-back for a real leg burner - and a nice change of pace from traditional floorwork, which can be dry and boring and overly repetitious. I'd use this as an add-on after a leg-focused cardio session (ie treadmill or bike) or as a supplement to a squats-lunges-leg press heavy legs workout. Each section is chaptered and is about 10 minutes in length, so for a shorter workout you could focus on standing work only, or ankle-weights only.

My light-tension band included with the set broke after two weeks of use, so I use the intermediate-tension band and 1# ankle weights for this workout (I am a high-intermediate exerciser with low back problems, so have to be careful with weight selection on any floorwork).

The standing work is focused on outer thighs and hips. If you listen to Leandro's cues about keeping your hips squared, you really feel the burn in those areas.

The floorwork with band targets glutes and hips, with some obliques work in the lying-side exercises. I like doing this section with ankle weights instead of a band, except for the clamshell work, which really benefits from the band for that deep glute burn. The last exercise, where you roll over onto your hip and pulse one leg upwards toward the ceiling, feels very awkward to me. Leandro should have provided more form pointers about alignment for this exercise.

The floorwork with ankle weights has more familiar exercises (bent-leg and straight-leg extensions, crossovers, etc.) plus some good inner-thigh work at the end. I really like Leandro's cues on keeping properly squared and aligned, and extending the arm opposite the working leg and balancing on fingertips on that side really helps. Seeing that I have to go relatively light with the weights in this section, I focus on perfect form and contracting the working muscle group.

I really like this workout. Time flies and my legs feel energized and worked out at the end.

Instructor Comments: Leandro is upbeat and makes sure you do equal reps on each side. Most of his cues are very clear. Sometimes his cadence is off, and he's never in sync with the music, but I'll forgive him that for this fun, effective leg workout.

High & Tight is part of the original Brazil Butt Lift set; it can be found on the same DVD as the Sculpt workout. This is a toning workout with three separate segments: Standing Work with Band, Floor Work with Band, and Floor Work with Ankle Weights. Leandro and his all-female crew use a flat, circular band that they place around their ankles and feet; I used and tube-style circle band around my ankles only, and for the floorwork, where the band is placed between the thighs, I used a flat band tied to an appropriate width.

The submenu for High & Tight lets you select each of the workout segments individually. There is also an option for normal/quieter music. I have listed each segment below along with approximate times as well as a brief overview of the exercises.

STANDING WORK WITH BAND, 10.5 minutes
The 4-minute warm-up includes steps side-to-side, increasing to a quick, dance-y tempo. There is also an "Accordion" move to work the abs, also with a side step. The first sequence involves touching the leg to the rear, eventually adding balance to this move. This is followed by squats with side leg lifts. The final standing move is what Leandro calls "1-2-3 Together": this is basically stepping out to the side, front, and then behind, again adding a bit of a dance feel to the exercise. That concludes the standing work.

FLOOR WORK WITH BAND, 11 minutes
For this segment, the exercisers are using the band on their thighs, just above their knees. Beginning in a side-lying position propped up on the elbow (Leandro calls this "At the Beach"), Leandro has the women raise both legs and do leg lifts from this position first with the top leg, then with the bottom. Next, he has the models lie flat on their sides and bend their knees for several clam shell variations (including traditional and feet raised). Leandro finishes with the Corkscrew, which involves turning one leg in so that the knee touches the ground and the heel faces up and doing lifts in the position. After repeating all of the exercises on the other side, Leandro concludes this segment with a brief (1.5 minute) stretch on the back that includes a lying twist.

FLOOR WORK WITH ANKLE WEIGHTS, 16.5 minutes
Most of this segment is performed in an all fours position on the elbows; again, Leandro completes all of the work on one side before moving on to the other; he also has the women rest briefly in child's pose in-between each move. The exercises include bent leg lifts, bent leg lifts with crossover, straight leg lifts, straight leg lifts with crossover, and rainbow (semi-circle leg lifts). Next comes some brief work for the inner thighs: in a side-lying position, you will perform leg lifts and leg circles. A 2-minute stretch on the back--including a nice figure 4 stretch--concludes this segment.

This is a great work; as promised, it definitely targets the butt from every angle! It is also nice how it is broken down into segments, as you could easily use 1-2 sections as add-ons (although the entire workout comes in at just under 38 minutes). This was tough, but it didn't leave me feeling as exhausted as Bum Bum, and I can see myself incorporating it more often.

Instructor Comments: Unlike in Bum Bum and some of the other BBL DVDs, in this workout--especially the floor segments--Leandro mostly instructs rather than performs the workout himself. He is pretty goofy, and he makes a lot of comments about what a great butt you are going to have. (He also has several other signature phrases such as "niiiice!" and "you are doing so well!") However, because he mirror cues, counts reps evenly, and generally does a good job instructing, I don't mind his quirks. ;)

Standing Section With Band (Since my BBL band snapped last year I do this with ankle weights instead)
Through out the whole workout he generally does a set of approx. 8 slow then another set at tempo then a set of short pulses.
No real warmup
You start standing with band around your feet not your ankles.

Side to side step while keeping tension on band. Then he teaches you accordian abs and arms then you add it all together. Basically a standing crunch while stepping side to side.

Leg Push Back: Stand on one leg, the other foot touches floor close behind you then farther away. This becomes Push The Air where you don't touch the toe to the ground but keep it in the air. Then you balance and pulse the leg up and down.
Then do other side.

Squat Side Leg Lift 4x then other side then again with about 16 reps each side.

123 Together: Stand on one leg, touch other toe out to side then in front then behind you then return feet together. Alternate sides. (I feel nothing from these and since I have ankle weights on I do slow front kicks instead).

Floor Work With Band Section: (Because my band snapped, and hit me in the face I might add, I also do this section with ankle weights: one on each ankle and one around the knee of my top leg).

Start lying on one side with band around knees.

Leg lifts. Lift both legs together and hold. Then you do leg lifts for top leg (outer thigh)
then hold top leg up and lift bottom leg to it (inner thigh).

Clam Shell: Bend legs and keep feet together while lift the top knee up and down. First set with feet on floor, Second set with feet suspended in air.

Corkscrew: You lean slightly forward from your side lying position and turn your top leg so your knee is on the floor and heel is straight up, then lift vertically up and down.

Then do the whole thing on the other side.

He adds in some stretches on your back here. Knee to chest and ankle crossed over your knee.

Floor Work with Ankle Weights Section:
This section is all on hands and knees with ankle weights on each ankle. Each exercise is done about 8 times then up tempo for 8 then short pulses. He goes into childs pose for a few seconds between each exercise.

Kneeling leg lift. One leg is bent about 90 degrees and lift up and down.

Kneeling Cross Kick Up. Same as above but on the down you cross the knee over the opposite calf then up.

Straight Leg Lift. Lift a straight leg up and down.

Straight Leg Cross Over. Same as above but on the down you cross your leg over the opposite calf. "upside down V shape" as he puts it.

Kneeling Diagonal Rainbow. Start with leg straight and diagonally out to side then make a half circle shape up over and down crossing over the opposite calf.

Then do all this on the other side.

Next you move on to inner thigh work. Lying on your side with top leg bent and the foot behing the bottom knee. Lift bottom knee up and down. Then he does circles to the front then circles to the back. Repeat on the other side.

Cool down is a few stretches on your back: Knee to chest, and spiral back twist.

Instructor Comments: I like Leandro but there are a few comments about "getting the butt that you want so much" things like that I could do without. Overall he gives good form pointers and put together an effective workout.

This workout is 37 minutes, and it packs a lot in that time. There are three sections (plus a warm up and cool down), and you can either play all or select one of the sections from the menu. The set is light and colorful, and it flashes between an indoor studio and a beach. There are several background exercisers, and they are all dressed colorfully. Inspite of the flashy promo clips, however, these exercisers seem very fit and confident rather than overly sexy. There is both a sense of seriousness and fun; I really like the mood of the workouts. These workouts seem well thought out -- with the primary purpose of working the glutes from ALL angles!

The three sections are:

Standing Work with Band: This section includes a lot of balance moves and leg extensions that push on the band. I feel it in my core as well as glutes.

Floor Work with Band: There are a lot of clamshell variations using the band. With the red band, I felt the work more deeply than I feel the clamshell work in Squeeze Stronger.

Floor Work with Ankle Weights: There are a variety of leg lifts, cross leg lifts, and a move that traces an arch which Leandro calls the rainbow. He works different speeds, including pulses on most of the moves. This works the glutes from a variety of angles. Leandro follows each move with child’s pose.

The advantage of High and Tight over other similar workouts is that it targets the glutes more directly. I often use Karen Voight’s Great Weighted floor work, but that includes a good bit of quad and hamstring work.

I am an advanced exerciser, and I find this sufficiently challenging with a high tension band and 2 lb. ankle weights. In fact, the intensity depends a lot on the band and weight used. I usually use the red “advanced” band which comes with the deluxe set, and it is worth investing in a band that is more challenging than the yellow one that comes with the basic set.

This is a really versatile workout – I have done it several different ways. I sometimes do the whole work out after intense cardio; when I do intense cardio first, I sometimes have to drop to the green “intermediate” band and I’m pretty fatigued by the end! If I start with this workout, I can stay with the red band and add another BBL workout. I’ve also used the individual parts as add-ons.

Instructor Comments: I really enjoy Leandro. He is energetic and fun, but he also knows what he is doing and is serious about getting people into shape. He gives good form pointers and often nuances a move in a way that helps even seasoned exercisers feel it in a new way.